My Dragon Academia Chronicles-The Wings of Heroism
by XPadfootTheWolfX
Summary: Izuku Midoriya had never seen a dragon in his life, only pictures. All dragon attacks were nullified in the media so as to avoid any panic within large cities, and so he had not even seen a dragon on video. That was why he had absolutely no clue what to do when he found himself staring into the intense depths of a dragon's eyes. This story includes a twist and an original character
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Dragons & Heroes**

**Welcome to the first chapter of my HTTYD + MHA fanfiction! I think this will be a really fun story to both write and read but feel free to comment or dm me to let me know if I am doing something that you would like to have fixed! I will warn you that this story will be pretty violent and a little graphic. It probably won't be too bad for most of you but I know that some readers are sensitive to that so I thought I'd just put it out there. I don't own any of the MHA or HTTYD characters but the original character in this story, although based off of Toothless, has a unique personality and a set of character traits that I developed myself. Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoy!**

Dragons were rare. Or at least, dragons seemed rare since they did not reveal themselves too often. They were dangerous, vicious and bloodthirsty creatures that preyed on those who did not pay attention, the innocent who did not look above them when going for a walk. Deaths caused by dragons did not happen too often in the city anymore because of the large number of dragon hunters who protected the cities from the blazing fire and sharp talons of the beasts but they did happen every once in a while when a dragon escaped from behind bars or managed to pick off a person from the edge of a town or city. Despite the significant research done and the statistics to support that information, Izuku Midoriya had never seen a dragon in his life, only pictures. All dragon attacks were nullified in the media so as to avoid any panic within large cities, and so he had not even seen a dragon on video. That was why he had absolutely no clue what to do when he found himself staring into the intense depths of a dragon's eyes.

Izuku's head hurt and his arms were sore from the rigorous training he had just done with All Might. Ever since he had gotten into UA, Izuku had done daily training sessions with All Might so as to improve his use with One for All, going to either Dagoba Beach where he had cleaned all of the trash, or moving to a peaceful clearing in the woods on the other side of town to spar with the great Symbol of Peace. He had been getting better, using his new physical strength from their pre-spar exercise routine, but he was still no match for All Might. He sighed to himself and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. All Might had offered him a ride home after their harsh training session but Izuku figured that walking would do him good and had taken the scenic route back towards his home. The trees around him swayed in the breeze and the birds chirped over his head merrily. Izuku paused in a clearing and took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet smell of the late spring air. He smelled the slight watery smell of the creek that lay nearby. He smelled the sweet scent of flowers and relished in the feeling of the sun on his face. He took one last deep breath before he started to walk again. The smells were pleasant, the flowers, the creek, the sun, the grass, the blood…

Izuku jolted to a halt, his step faltering to the point of almost making him fall over. He sniffed the air again, unsure if he smelled it correctly. Fear crept up his spine as he took in that metallic scent once again. That was definitely blood, and it was strong wherever it was. Izuku wanted to keep walking down the pretty pathway through the woods. He wanted to make it home before dinner so that he would not worry his mother. He wanted to do anything but investigate, but his legs were plotting against him. He felt as if he could no longer control his body as it turned him and forced him to pad through the tall grasses, straying away from the path, to see what was going on. He walked for a little while, the trees around him closing in on him, forming narrow lines. The grass was shorter here and the sun was beginning to become blotted out by the thick canopy of trees above him. He shivered as a chill set in, and he wanted nothing more than to turn back, to find the sun and the safety of the path, but his legs once again ignored his brain and continued to trek deep into the woods. The smell of blood was really strong now, he placed the hem of his shirt over his nose and mouth to avoid choking on the stench. Finally, he broke through the last row of trees and peered into a large clearing. The clearing normally would have been beautiful, short grass that was dappled with shadows on the corners but bright and sunny in the center with a glittering creek running through the center, gleaming in the lowering sun. Izuku may have even admired its natural perfection had the situation been different. But it wasn't. The clearing was covered in blood, the grass was soaked with it, stained a deep red. There were no bodies but Izuku noticed some of the blood that dripped slowly from the branch of a nearby tree. But that was not even the worst part.

In the center of the clearing was a dragon.

Izuku sucked in a terrified breath and fumbled to reach for the knife that he kept at his hip. He was not normally one to carry a knife, but his mother had been worried about him wandering around on his own now that he was going UA and had given him a pocket knife for his birthday. It wasn't much and he was worried that it wouldn't even penetrate the pelt of a dragon, but it was all that he had. His hand shook as he held the knife aloft, his whole body tense and waiting for the creature to pounce on him and add him to the bloody stew in the clearing. He could see the creature looking at him, its eyes wide and its cat-like pupils narrowed into slits. Izuku tried to calm his breathing, he was probably with the most dangerous animal on the planet, if he panicked, he was dead.

His eyes darted around the clearing as he tried to piece together a plan, anything to help him in this situation. He did not know why the dragon had not attacked him yet, but he could not assume that he was safe just because the creature was lying on its side. He had no idea what species of a dragon it was and he could not judge whether it was a hunting tactic or whether it was just tired and full. His fingers tightened on the knife and Izuku locked eyes with the beast. He would fight. He knew he couldn't win but he just had to try, for the sake of the people who he assumed did not leave this clearing and for the sake of those who had helped him to become who he was now. He stood up straighter and took one shaky step into the clearing. The dragon lifted the corner of its lip in a half snarl and let out a cross between a growl and a pained groan. Izuku froze, the knife shaking so badly in his hand that he could barely keep ahold of it, and waited in a half-crouched position for the beast to leap out at him with its claws outstretched and flames billowing out of its mouth. The dragon lifted its head slightly, watching him with wide eyes before letting its head fall back to the ground with a muffled _thump_.

Izuku let out a breath he didn't even know he had been holding. His legs felt like jello but he forced himself to take another step, and then another. The dragon did not even react this time, its head remaining on the ground and its eyes closing. The dragon did nothing. Even though most of its body was obscured by a large boulder, Izuku could tell that its whole body was limp. It was vulnerable, maybe it was exhausted from killing the people in the clearing. Izuku decided that this was his chance to kill the beast and escape with his life and the justice of the dead who did not manage to kill the dragon. With a loud battle cry, Izuku launched forward, the knife thrust in front of him, running at the dragon with all of the strength he could muster. The dragon again did not react and merely turned its head away with a sigh. Izuku rounded the boulder and raised his arm to bring down the knife when the sight of the creature's body caused him to freeze in place.

The dragon was lying on its side with its legs, tail, and wings bound by firm ropes with hooks on the ends that sank into its flesh on its chest and lower back. Its back leg was twisted horribly in the wrong direction and one of its wings was obviously broken at the curve, a shiny white bone sticking out of the top like a white knife. Scars and open wounds crisscrossed over the dragon's body like a grotesque map, including an enormous gash that was leaking blood all over the meadow ground, and one of the dragon's eyes was swollen shut with three long claw marks that started a little bit above the eyelid, went over the eyelid and ended a few centimeters below the eye. Izuku stood with his mouth agape, the knife held aloft in a shaking hand as he took in the sight of the dragon. He tried to tell himself that the dragon deserved this, that the beast was a killer and it had been restrained to avoid any more bloodshed. But when looking at the sad creature before him, something that was probably gorgeous and proud once, he couldn't bring himself to blame it. If it had killed the people, Izuku reasoned that it must have either been following its instinct to eat when hungry or it was trying to protect itself. He realized that he had allowed his hands to bring the knife down to his head, resting it there as he stood over the beast, thinking. He shook his head and raised the knife again, closing his eyes and leaning back to fling the knife down.

The dragon suddenly let out a pained whine. Izuku's eyes flew open and he looked down at the dragon in shock. It sounded exactly like an injured puppy. His breathing sped up and he tried to raise the knife again, but he suddenly dropped it. He heard it clang against the stone behind him and Izuku had to force himself to keep from running away as fast as possible. He ran his hands through his hair and looked at the dragon in the eye once more. His hand flew up to his mouth and he couldn't stop himself from falling backward a few steps as he looked into the creature's eyes. The pupils were wide now so that the dragon looked almost cute and a single tear was trailing down its face. Conflicted feelings coursed through Izuku as he looked at the pitiful beast, he wanted to kill it or run away but the hero side of him also wanted to stay and help it. He stood and stared for a little while, allowing his eyes to rove over the dragon's wounds before he finally made a decision. A decision, that he did not know would change his life forever.

Trying and failing to keep his hands steady, Izuku leaned down with the pocket knife and pressed it to the dragon's side. The dragon let out another agonized whine before closing its eyes and tilting its head to a more comfortable position on the grass. Izuku took a deep breath and whispered to the dragon.

"Please don't kill me."

Then, with a swift jerk of his arm, Izuku sliced his knife through the thinner threads of the rope. The dragon's eyes snapped open and it took everything in Izuku's power to remain by its side and continue to cut the rope that was looped over its midnight black scales. He placed the knife against another rope and jerked his arm again, fighting against the tough material until it gave way to his actions. Finally, the last rope was cut and everything fell loose, slipping down the dragon's legs and pooling on the meadow floor. Izuku put his hands up and flinched, his eyes closed as he waited for the dragon to pounce on him now that it was free. His whole body was shaking and his breathing was so fast paced that he thought he might pass out. He waited, but no attack came. He opened his eyes just a crack to see that the dragon had shuffled its legs around so that it was able to tuck them underneath its chest but it had made no move to actually stand. Its back leg was still horribly twisted and the hooks from the rope were still lodged in the dragon's chest and back. Izuku lowered his hands slowly and peered at the dragon. The dragon watched him as well with its lips pulled back into a slight snarl. Neither moved.

That was when the voice echoed loudly throughout the woods. The dragon sat up as high as it could without standing to peer over Izuku's shoulder and Izuku jumped in surprise at the noise.

"Oh yes sir, it is over here!"

"You don't think it is already gone?"

"It may have injured a lot of our men, but it was pretty tied up and it was wounded to the point of barely remaining conscious. I wouldn't be surprised if it was out cold."

"Let's hope so, that would make things so much easier."

The voices started to get louder as their owners got closer to the clearing. They were laughing and joking loudly as they walked. Izuku wanted to be excited that help was on the way, but he couldn't help feeling as if these people were not the right kind of help. The dragon beside him started trying to move, lifting its wings with a grimace and scrambling to get its legs underneath it. It only took a few more minutes for the men to break through the ring of trees and enter the clearing. Almost as if the men were poisonous, the dragon who had been struggling just moments before, landed on the ground with a sickening crunch. The beast just allowed itself to crash to the forest floor and laid there limply, like a dead dog.

The men stopped laughing and looked at Izuku, their smiles fading as they eyed him and the limp dragon beside him. Nobody spoke. Izuku wanted to stand or walk or at least _move_ but his body refused to cooperate. He sat still, his knife hovering in the air over his leg, dripping with dragon's blood onto his pant leg. The men looked from Izuku's face to the bloody knife, their eyes widening and smoldering. Finally, one of the men took a step closer and cleared his throat.

"What is your name, boy?"

Izuku knew better than to answer with his real name and forced himself to quickly throw back the first name that came to mind.

"Tamaki Atari."

"What are you doing here, Atari?"

Izuku gulped and slowly wiped the dragon's blood from his knife onto his pant leg.

"I smelled a strong tang of blood and came to see if everyone was okay." Izuku glanced around nervously. "I was shocked by what I found."

The man looked back to his friend and dipped his head in a slight curt nod that Izuku almost missed.

"Of course you were, I am so sorry for what you have found here, that feral beast came and attacked our men out of the blue when we were camping. You must be troubled and scared, come on we can take you home." The man held out his hand and smiled warmly at Izuku, so warmly that it was almost convincing enough to make him go to the man. Almost.

"It's alright, I can walk home myself," Izuku said, forcing himself to his wobbly feet. He managed to steady himself and face the men but he never dropped the knife.

"No really, boy. We don't want you getting hurt, do we?"

"I'm alright, I know my way home." Izuku tried to steady his shaking hand but he couldn't stop the little tremors from trailing up and down his arms.

"You need to come with us." The man said, now dropping his warm persona to replace it with a cold demeanor, topped with a venomous grin.

"No, I can't do that," Izuku said, shaking his head.

"If you can kill a Night Fury then you can walk a little way with us."

Izuku felt his jaw drop but he didn't care. He could understand how they assessed the situation and connected the dots so that he seemed like a dragon killer but it surprised him nonetheless. He just couldn't see how he, Izuku Midoriya, could be seen as someone to kill something as strong, powerful, and dangerous as a dragon. Even though he had buffed up a little bit with the training from All Might, he just couldn't see himself as a dragon hunter.

"No, no, no, it's not what you think! I didn't kill this dragon! I found it like this!"

"Why is your knife covered in blood then?"

"I used it to cut off the ropes."

The men both sighed and looked at each other in furious annoyance.

"So you are one of _those_ people, huh?"

"Those people?"

"The people who think that killing dragons is wrong and inhumane. The people who think that we should treat dragons like dogs and take care of them. Make a sanctuary for them." The man's face scrunched up with disgust. "It's completely delusional."

"I know nothing about dragons, I do not have an opinion," Izuku said quickly. "I just saw a dragon that was mostly dead and I thought that I could do it a final service by just releasing its bonds. It was too weak to do anything but lay on the grass and bleed."

The men looked at each other once more before turning back to Izuku, their eyes lit with a furious flame.

"First, you kill the one thing that would have made us the richest men on Earth, and then you lie to us with this dragon wellness bullshit." The man speaking pulled out a long sword that Izuku had not noticed had been strapped on his back and hidden beneath his shabby cloak.

"DO YOU REALIZE HOW MUCH YOU HAVE COST US, BOY!?" The man suddenly screamed, running at Izuku with the sword held aloft.

"YOU THINK YOU ARE SUCH A HERO DON'T YOU? YOU'VE RUINED EVERYTHING!"

Izuku covered his face with his hands and flinched as the man bolted at him with a shocking speed that rivaled that of Iida's speed. Izuku guessed that the man's quirk was at work. Even if he had had full control of One for All there was no way he would have been able to dodge him. That is why when Izuku did not feel the sudden burn of the sword thrusting through him, he felt confused. He opened one eye tentatively and peered through his fingers, almost afraid of what he would see. His eyes widened in shock and it took everything he had to avoid tripping backward in surprise. Standing in front of him, holding the sword in its teeth was the dragon. Izuku was sure that the beast had been barely able to even lift its head let alone jump up and run in front of a flying sword. But here it was, snarling at the men while holding the sword in its mouth, the man's arm still holding onto the hilt. He released the hilt of the sword with a choked gasp and scrambled away from the dragon with a laugh that sounded almost hysterical.

"So you are alive," The man said with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. "I am so happy to see that."

The dragon dropped the sword where it hit the soft earth with a wet squelch, landing in the mud and the blood that soaked the clearing. Everything was silent. Even the birds had gone quiet as the dragon and the men stared at each other. Then, quick as lightning, one of the men swung around and snatched a long iron whip from out of his bag. He held it aloft and allowed it to uncoil, pooling on the forest floor with a sound like pebbles rolling down a cliffside. The dragon let out a vicious snarl that seemed to shake the forest to its core and raised its broken wings, its teeth bared. Despite having his vision partly obscured by the large black wings of the dragon, he could still see the man with the whip. The man rattled the chain twice and clucked with his tongue.

At first, Izuku thought that the man was trying to subdue the dragon with those actions and noises but suddenly, about twenty men broke through the tree line and rushed into the clearing, weapons raised. A group of the men even brought out a large metal cage that was filled with spikes on all of the sides both inside and outside. Izuku froze, he didn't know what to do. He didn't understand why this dragon was so valuable and yet so tortured. He didn't understand why the most deadly creature on the planet was fighting to protect him. And he didn't understand why he got involved. The only thing he did understand was his sense of justice as all of the hero lessons from All Might came flooding into his brain all at once. Izuku did not even think before pushing the dragon's wing back and ducking underneath it. He did not think as he ignored the dragon's warning growl at him and he did not think when he used his own body to cover the dragon. He faced away from the dragon and hovered his right hand over its panther-like head while his left hand hovered over its side, palms down. He held his head high and did not think as the quarry of men rushed both him and the dragon.

As the men got closer, Izuku leaned back so as to provide even more of his minimal protection, placing his right hand right on the dragon's head above the eyes but below the ears. He felt the dragon's surprisingly soft scales despite their strength and felt the little fin like scales that ran up the length of the dragon's face from just above the nostrils to a little way before the base of the ears. He felt the dragon's mix of warm and cool scales, the strange mix of temperatures flooding into his fingertips like touching an ice cube doused in salt. That was when his hand suddenly flared with heat and pain. Izuku could not contain the scream that managed to rise out of his throat. He heard the dragon roar in pain and even though his brain started to go hazy with a mess of thoughts, one thing was clear:

He had done the right thing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Combustion Bonds**

Izuku was a dragon. He was young and spritely with a warm heart and a lively spirit. He was galloping through a forest with his siblings, other dragons like him who were roaring in excitement and pawing at each other playfully. Then Izuku was fighting an older dragon, one who looked powerful. He fought every morning with this older dragon, leaping in the air, twisting, biting, and flying. He beat the air with his small wings, curling his tail underneath him so that the older dragon could not catch hold of it to pull him down. He fought until he finally pinned the bigger dragon beneath him with a fighting move that he had never even seen before. A kind of twirl where he caught the older dragon under the chin by approaching the blind spot, using a flash of shadow to distract the older dragon and then flipping him over by pressing all four of his paws into the dragon's wings and two pressure points at the base of the wings. He roared in victory and looked down at the older dragon who laughed and nuzzled him.

Suddenly there was blood everywhere, he was in a cage with another dragon pup. He knew this dragon as his best friend, the one who had always been nice to him despite the other dragon pups making fun of Izuku for being born without claws. Dead dragon bodies stained the forest red and bones stuck up like thorns in the foliage. He peered through the bars to see cloaked men holding weapons and striking down anything that moved while taking all of the pups and throwing them into cages.

Then everything was dark, he tasted blood on his tongue and felt a warm sticky liquid on his paws. More bodies were here except none of the blood would go away because instead of soaking into the soft earth of the forest floor, it would just spread across the metallic flooring that had replaced the spongy ground of his home. That was when a bunch of random images started flooding his brain at once, moving from a dark cell to a booming city, from visions of dead dragons that looked like him to images of a man with gray hair, cracked lips, and hands covering his body, standing over him with a whip. The whip was raised high above the hand man's head before it came crashing down with a clap. He felt the pain rip through his back and felt the blood spill over his wings and run down his legs.

"You will obey." The hand man said in a scratchy voice before raising the whip once more.

Izuku woke up panting, his throat raw from the screaming. His eyes were wide and sweat was streaming down his face and back. His hands were gripping the front of his shirt to the point that his knuckles were white and his fingers were starting to bruise. He gulped in air as if he had been stuck underwater, looking around at his surroundings in fear and faint curiosity. He was in a hospital room, hooked up to a monitor. His mother was sitting in a chair against the wall, asleep. He looked to his bedside table to see cards and flowers from all of his classmates in class 1-A. He glanced around to the other side of the room and saw his two best friends also sitting in chairs. Tenya Iida was fast asleep just like Izuku's mother, his mouth open as he snored and his glasses crooked on his face as he leaned his head back against the chair. Ochako Uraraka, on the other hand, was wide awake and reading a book by his bedside. It took Izuku a moment to realize that she was reading the book aloud. She paused when she saw him looking at her, her mouth open to read the next sentence of the book.

Immediately, she shut the book and dragged her chair closer to his bedside, her eyes wide with worry.

"Deku!" Ochako whispered. "How are you feeling?"

Izuku looked into her face and analyzed every feature, from her beautiful brown eyes to her soft skin, touched by the adorable blush marks on her cheeks. He blushed when he realized he was ogling her and she was waiting for his answer.

"I'm feeling a little shaken up but otherwise fine," Izuku said. "What happened, Uraraka? I can't remember much."

Ochako's face darkened a little and he felt his anxiety rise with it.

"It was a dragon attack, Izuku. We don't know where it came from but we just found you, bleeding and shaking in a tree. Your mother got worried when you didn't get home on time and so after waiting a while she called the police. We came along to look for you. All Might said that he often saw you take this scenic route home so we searched there first. It took us almost three hours."

"I was hanging from a tree?" Izuku asked.

"No, not hanging, you were actually resting on a bed of leaves, that was why it was so hard to find you, your green hair blended in with the canopy and your body was obscured by the branches and leaves."

"Oh," Izuku thought for a minute, allowing the room to fill up with silence. "Was the dragon there?"

"No, thank god," Ochako murmured. "We were scared enough already, but I think the bloodthirsty beast was just looking for some extra prey to hunt for, saving you for later. I was really worried for you, we thought you were already dead," Ochako scratched the back of her head nervously. "I was the one who found you. It was horrible, I was using my gravity quirk to float above the forest for a better bird's eye view and I just saw you tangled up in the branches like a doll." She shook her head, tears in her eyes.

"Thank you for finding me, Uraraka, I'm okay I promise," Izuku pulled her into a half hug and patted her shoulder comfortingly. She nodded against his shoulder.

"I believe you, it was just really scary. I can't believe you faced off with a dragon on your own and didn't get torn into little ribbons."

"Yeah... I can't believe that either."

Izuku then placed his hands down on either side of him and tried to sit up, his back numb from laying down for so long. His body was sore but nothing seemed too badly injured. He didn't know what to think. Maybe the part about the dragon saving him was just a dream? Or maybe the dragon had some sort of quirk that made him see one thing when really he was actually experiencing another? Dragons were known to have quirks, a lower percentage of them did when compared to humans, only about 60% of them had powers but it was still common enough for it to be a possibility. He put weight on his hands to push himself up.

That is when he felt it. A slight shock of pain shot through his hand and a flash of an image of a large black wing briefly obscured his vision, causing Izuku to jump a little and look at the back of his hand.

"Is everything okay Deku?" Ochako asked him as a flash of worry crossed her face.

"Yeah, I'm alright my hand just felt strange for a second there."

"What do you mean strange?"

"Um…"

Izuku didn't know what to say as he turned his hand over to examine his palm. Ochako leaned over and gasped as she saw his hand from over Izuku's shoulder.

"What the hell is that?" Ochako asked in alarm.

"I don't know."

Sitting on the side of his palm directly beneath his thumb on his right hand was a circular swirl shape that looked as if it had been engraved into his palm. The skin around the shape was raw and pink but Izuku didn't believe that that was the source of the pain as the pain he had felt a moment ago felt deeper than that. Maybe he had been poisoned? Izuku tried not to panic at this sudden development and took some calming deep breaths.

"Would you like me to get you the doctor?" Ochako asked, her eyes shining with a mix of worry and fear.

"Yeah, I think that would be a good idea."

As if on cue, the door to the hospital room opened and the doctor walked in holding a clipboard and wearing a bright smile on his face. Izuku's mother and Iida jolted awake at the sound of the heavy door shutting behind the doctor.

"Oh, sorry to wake you two! I just thought I would come and check on young Midoriya's progress. It's good to see you awake young man." The doctor said turning to face Izuku.

"Izuku!"

"Midoriya! You're awake."

Iida and his mother stood up and moved on either side of him to get a better look at him.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better than I thought I would," Izuku said with a sigh. "But my hand…"

The doctor said nothing when Izuku raised his hand and showed his palm to the people assembled. His mother gasped and Iida's eyes widened but the doctor remained silent. Raising a hand to stroke his beard, the doctor hummed in thought and squinted his eyes at the strange marking.

"Does it hurt to touch it or apply pressure to it?"

"Yes, but not surface pain. Although it looks raw I don't feel any pain when I touch my skin but when I apply too much pressure I feel a pain deep inside myself. I feel it in my bones and lungs rather than my hand. I also have been seeing some strange images when the pressure is applied."

"Images?" The doctor asked as he scribbled some notes on a notepad.

"Yeah, like memories that are not mine."

The doctor nodded and finished his writing before he spoke again.

"Alright young Midoriya, thank you for telling me this information. I want to help you but it is not my area of expertise so I am recommending you to a friend of mine who specializes in animal quirk related injuries. I don't know if that is what this is but she has worked with dragons before and may be able to help you."

"Thank you so much, Doctor," Izuku's mother said, her eyes watering. She leaned forward and held both of her son's hands in hers. "I want to get this figured out as soon as possible and I want to find the dragon that did this to my son so that it can pay for what it has done to him."

Izuku knew she was just being protective and that she didn't actually mean any harm to the dragon but even so, for some reason, he felt a slight rise of panic in his chest at the thought of the dragon being slain.

"Young Midoriya, did you see what kind of dragon it was? If I knew that then I may be able to better determine what kind of damage was done to your body," the doctor asked, his pen resting against the stubble on his cheek.

Izuku thought for a moment. He could not remember much but the image of the sleek black dragon with a panther like face and a wolf-shaped body that was covered in wounds seemed to be permanently burned into his brain. That image triggered a little bit of his memory as he thought about it, and he remembered what a man had said out of the fog swamping his mind.

"I think it was a dragon called a Night Fury," Izuku said.

The reaction was like that of a bomb going off in the room. The doctor gasped and tripped backward into some medical supplies, sending them crashing to the floor. Inko Midoriya shrieked and launched at her son, enfolding him into a rib-crushing hug. Iida's jaw dropped and he called out Izuku's name in shock. Ochako and Izuku were the only ones who did not understand the reaction of the others.

"Are you sure Midoriya?"

"Yes, why? Why is that so hard to believe?"

The doctor rubbed his face and took a deep breath.

"Because never in the history of the existence of humans, quirk or no quirk, has anyone ever survived an attack from a Night Fury. Not much is known about those dragons, only that they are vicious, bloodthirsty, extremely intelligent, and powerful. Nobody even knows what they truly look like! Those dragons never steal food, never show themselves and they _never_ miss."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Lovely Oddities**

**It's 2:00 in the morning, I am listening to the Harry Potter soundtrack and I have work tomorrow morning but when you feel like writing you can't stop until you finish. I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter! The chapters after this will start to get more interesting, I'm sorry that chapters 2 & 3 are kind of more exposition but I wanted to make this story as well developed as possible! Have a great day everyone! I love all of the comments everyone is leaving, thank you so much! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

Izuku and his mother walked along a wooded gravel drive leading to a nice log cabin that was tucked neatly into the embrace of the surrounding trees. The sun was warm and bright, its rays shining through the tree leaves in a way that left little dapples all over the small pebbles on the driveway. The pair walked in silence up to the house, a slight bit of tension hanging between them, a mix of fear and worry about the other person. Ever since the visit to the hospital, Inko Midoriya had been extra protective of her son, calling or texting him all the time and staying up late at night, unable to fall asleep with the fear of a dragon sneaking in to steal her boy away. Izuku had started to worry about her almost as much as she worried about him. The lack of sleep and the stress of the anxiety from the attack was starting to have a negative impact on her health. Izuku glanced at his mother as they walked, the rocks crunching beneath their shoes, and let out a sigh.

"Mom I really am okay. I know you are worried and I understand why, you have every right to be, but I'm worried about you now. You look too tired," Izuku draped one arm around his mother's shoulder.

"I know that sweetie, the doctor would not have cleared you if you had not been physically and mentally stable with the current situation but I can't help being anxious! Sometimes I just forget how dangerous the world is and when you almost lose someone you love…" She wrapped one of her arms around Izuku's shoulders and pulled him closer to him, their legs almost tangling as they continued to walk down the winding path.

"Well, hopefully, this therapist can settle both of our anxieties, that way you won't have to worry so much. Neither of us will have to," Izuku said, gesturing to the cabin.

"Me too, Izuku. Me too…"

They finally reached the end of the drive and knocked on a pair of beautifully handcrafted walnut doors, breaking apart from each other but still holding each other's hands. To their surprise, the door flew open just a few short seconds after they had knocked, almost as if the resident of the house had been standing at the entrance to wait for them to arrive.

"Welcome to my home!"

To say that she looked odd was a little bit of an understatement. The woman standing at the entrance of her cabin was taller than both of the Midoriyas with long ivory hair that had been fashioned into one fishtail braid going down the back. Her eyes were a pretty deep brown and her skin was an even mix of pale and a light brush of a spring tan. It was what she was wearing that caught the Midoriyas by surprise. The woman was wearing a set of ashen combat leathers that complimented her hair with a slight gray contrast between the two. At the waist of her gray pants was a black leather belt that held an assortment of items such as a dead fish, a hammer, a shield, and a strange looking green root. Her hands were covered by heavy black gloves and around her neck, she wore a necklace of small bones. Despite this, the strangest part about her appearance was not the necklace of bones or strange combat gear but the large white and gray eagle that sat on her shoulder. Not waiting for an introduction from the pair of startled guests, the woman stepped to the side and gestured them inside with a bright smile on her face.

"Please feel free to make yourselves at home here, I've got tea on the stove right now that will be ready in just a few minutes," the woman followed them into the living room before departing into the kitchen. She came back a moment later holding a small tray of tea and some baked treats. She bent down and placed the tray on a wooden handcrafted table and the eagle on her shoulder took off silently, landing on a landing post on the other side of the room.

"Did you find the place okay?"

"Yeah it was no problem," Inko replied.

"Very good! My name is Haruka and I am here today to look over one of the few injuries my friend at the hospital wasn't able to properly diagnose, is that correct?"

"Yeah that's right," Izuku said, looking around at the surprisingly neat and pretty interior decor.

"Alright, what's your name? Izuku, right?"

Izuku nodded.

"Okay Izuku, give me a rundown of how you've been feeling and then we will take a look at the injury shall we?"

"Sure!" Izuku thought for a moment. "I don't really feel any pain in my hand anymore but I feel pain everywhere else. It is a really dull pain, to the point of me almost being able to ignore it but it is still there. It flares up sometimes though, I just feel pain everywhere in my body. It wakes me up at night sometimes. I also have been having these really weird dreams where I am in the dragon's body, the one that attacked me as if I am living in the dragon's life and all of the dreams are always full of terrible pain and horror."

Haruka nodded and wrote some things down on a notepad she had pulled out of a hidden pocket of hers.

"Any other issues or symptoms?"

"Well… yes actually. I feel like my senses have been heightened. Even just walking to your house today, I felt comfortable under the trees even though a forest is where I was attacked. I feel like my sense of smell and sight has been magnified, my hearing too so that I can experience things a split second before my friends and family do."

Haruka looked up at him for a moment, her eyes meeting his before she dropped her gaze and continued to scribble some things down.

"Thank you Izuku that was very helpful! Are you comfortable with showing me your hand where the injury is?"

Izuku nodded and held up his hand. His other hand shook as he reached over to pull off the glove he had been wearing to cover the mark, his nerves suddenly skyrocketing. He didn't know what was wrong with him, he felt like he was revealing a part of himself that he shouldn't, like taking off all of his clothes in public. Even so, he swallowed the strange feeling and ripped off the glove, turning his palm around so that Haruka could take a look. Haruka studied his hand for a moment, even taking it in her hands and feeling it with her surprisingly soft fingers. The eagle on the stand nearby ruffled its feathers and cawed, shaking its head and prancing in place before finally settling once more.

"Alright, Izuku can I be straight forward with you?"

Izuku nodded.

"And Mrs. Midoriya can I also be straight with you?"

"Yes."

"Okay good," Haruka took a deep breath and looked at them both in the eyes. "It is a brand, young Midoriya. It happens sometimes when a dragon is in serious danger and it needs to escape a situation fast but also doesn't want to lose something that it wants or needs. My doctor friend told me that you thought this dragon was a Night Fury? Those dragons are renowned for their intense intelligence which means that the dragon that attacked you could have very easily decided to save you for a later meal by marking you so that it could find you again."

Inko Midoriya gasped and Izuku felt all of the blood rush out of his head leaving his face a pale and sweaty mess.

"W-What?"

"Don't panic young Midoriya. I know it is scary but don't worry, the brand doesn't last forever and the dragon will soon lose interest. Also, if it is a Night Fury, that thing will be hunted from every corner of the earth and will have no ability to get anywhere near the city," Haruka sat back with a sigh and scratched her neck. "Even so, I want you to be very careful. Don't go walking alone at night, stay with friends and family during the day, and never let your guard down. As I said, you should be fine but your safety is as much my priority as it is your mother's so I want to make sure you know every precaution before you leave here, alright?"

"Alright. Thank you so much or your help."

"It was no problem at all young Midoriya, and while you are out living your life, I will order a new type of medication for you that will help you get rid of the brand faster alright? It should also get rid of the weird dreams and constant pain."

"Thanks again," Inko Midoriya said, tears threatening to spill over onto her cheeks. "We will see you in a few weeks."

"I look forward to it!" Even the eagle cawed at them as the pair walked out of the cute but strange little cabin and out into the forest.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 **

**Hidden Treasures**

As soon as the Midoryas left her home, Haruka immediately jumped into the air with her fist raised excitedly. She felt like a giddy school girl again, adrenaline coursing through her veins and happiness forcing her to smile the widest she had smiled in a long time. Her doctor friend had indeed told her that the dragon that had attacked Izuku was probably a Night Fury but she hadn't dared to believe it, they were just too rare, never seen and constantly moving at speeds faster than that of sound. She had worked with a lot of dragons but she had never _ever_ seen a Night Fury before. She whirled around, the tea and treats forgotten on the coffee table and rushed for her office. Her eagle raised his wings and flew after her, swerving around the corner and landing on her desk beside her laptop.

Haruka leaned down and opened up one of her drawers, moving all of the papers and pens out of the way until she reached the bottom. Once she reached the bottom of the drawer she reached her fingers around the corner and pulled up, revealing a hidden compartment. She smiled as she pulled out a bow along with her phone and a quiver of arrows. She closed the drawer and stood up, moving to the shelf that lined the wall of her office. Her eagle ruffled his feathers and followed Haruka's line of sight as she scanned the shelf. After a minute, the eagle cawed and flew over to the shelf, reaching a talon to point at a glass bottle that was filled with a pale green liquid. Haruka smiled at the eagle and plucked the bottle from the shelf, slipping it into one of the little pockets in her robe.

"Nice work Cassian! Are you ready to go?" The eagle cawed again and took off, following Haruka back through the living room and out into the backyard. Haruka's backyard was a large spanning meadow that flowed into a forest at the back. Haruka strode through the tall grass of her meadow, Cassian coasting beside her until they entered the calming clutches of the dark forest.

Hours passed and although they had not found anything, Haruka never lost hope. She glanced up through the trees and watched as Cassian flew above her, scanning the forest floor for their prize. Haruka glanced back down at the ground and moved her way through the foliage, her eyes watching for any sign that the dragon had crossed through the area. Suddenly, Cassian dove down toward the ground in a sharp decline. Haruka paused and stood still, waiting for him to return. It was at least half an hour before the bird rose back into the sky and shot toward her, his wings beating the air frantically. The eagle landed on the forest floor and tilted his head to look more directly at Haruka. After a second of catching his breath, Cassian nodded to Haruka. The eccentric woman then leaned back and glanced around them, one hand resting on the pommel of her sword, making sure that nobody was around. After she was one hundred percent sure that nobody was around, she nodded slightly to Cassian. She then picked up her phone and called a friend. The phone only got through the first ring before someone picked up on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Emiko! It's Haruka, Cassian has found something, can you please come over here and use your quirk on him?"

"Sure thing, where are you? I am over by the river that we passed a little while ago."

"Perfect, I can meet you over there."

Haruka then beckoned to Cassian who took off once more for the river. It only took a few minutes for the pair to reach Emiko, a friend of Haruka's who was a fan of adventure and enjoyed helping Haruka with her odd jobs. Emiko looked up as they pushed through the brush and smiled at them, wiping the sweat off of her brow. Haruka trotted up to Emiko and Cassian landed on the ground beside them, his mouth open as he caught his breath. Emiko looked down at him and smiled at the old bird.

"Hello again, Cassian! Are you ready?" Emiko leaned back and stretched her arms above her head, sighing as a satisfying pop sounded from in between her shoulder blades. The bird nodded and stood up tall as Emiko leaned down with her palm out, her fingers glowing a faint yellow. Haruka smiled as she watched them, her mind flooding with the sweet memories of when she had met Emiko in middle school when she had accidentally turned Haruka into a lizard during lunch. It was after this incident that Haruka had learned that Emiko's quirk was the ability to hide the true form of things by turning them into animals or objects with her fingers. Even so, they had become good friends with a taste for adventure and a love for all living things.

Now, Emiko pressed her fingers to Cassian's side, careful not to damage his beautiful wings and stepped back after the glow had dimmed from her fingers. Her quirk took a moment to take effect as Cassian's body began to change, his feathers falling off to be replaced with a hard exterior and his beak changing into a snout all while his body was growing into a size much larger than that of a bird. The two women stepped back to admire their work as the creature standing before them stretched his lavish wings and blinked his eyes as he grew reaccustomed to the world around him.

The Boneknapper dragon then shook himself, the bones that covered his body like armor clacking together until he settled back down, leaning down to look at the women properly. Haruka smiled and placed a hand on the front of his nose where a swirly mark lay. Once her hand met with the mark on his muzzle, both her hand and his snout began to glow with a soft blue hue. They broke apart after a minute and looked at each other lovingly before Haruka walked around to his flank where she placed her foot in the indention of one of the bones covering his back leg to hoist herself up onto his back. Emiko dug through her own leather bag and pulled out a small book. Raising her hand and allowing her fingertips to glow with the power of her quirk, she touched the book until it had reformed back into its normal shape, which was that of a dragon saddle. Once the saddle had reshaped in her arms, she threw it to Haruka who caught it and situated it on top of the Boneknapper's back near the base of the neck so that the bones that protruded from that spot would not stab right through her. Once she was settled in the saddle she reached a hand out for Emiko and helped her up.

"Ready?" Haruka asked.

"Ready."

Haruka patted her dragon's neck and he raised his wings high into the air, his bones rattling together. Finally, he forced his mighty wings down as hard as he could and they were shot into the air. Cassian flew right into the clouds so as to avoid being seen by other people and Haruka pulled a long microscope-looking object out of her bag, leaning over her dragon's side until it poked out from just underneath the clouds. Looking down into the forest below, she reached forward and placed her hand on the back of her dragon's head, her hand starting to glow again.

"Tell me when you find it again, Cassian," Haruka said, using the power from her hand to allow Cassian to see what she was seeing. The dragon sighed and his eyes darted around as he too looked down at the forest floor despite being above the clouds. This was how they had avoided detection for all of these years. They had been flying for a long time when Cassian suddenly perked up with a growl. Haruka looked to the left and saw it too. She patted him again and he tilted his wings so that they were then aiming for the ground once more. They landed softly in the center of a clearing. The wind swayed the grass and ruffled the water but it also carried the strong scent of blood with it. Haruka and Emiko pulled their shirts over their noses as the smell attacked their senses with the full force of a truck hitting a steel beam at full speed. Haruka's eyes watered but she pushed past it and looked around the bloody clearing.

"Stay close, both of you," Haruka said, looking back at both of her best friends. Emiko nodded and Cassian purred softly before sniffing the air and walking around. Despite the immense amount of blood in the clearing, there were no bodies which meant that either the dragon didn't kill anyone or someone had removed all of the bodies. Haruka hoped it was the first option but really had no idea as she too started to walk around. Emiko took to the perimeter of the clearing while Haruka went to the center of the clearing to where the largest puddle of blood in the whole field sat. She knew this was dragon's blood due to the fact that if any person had lost this much blood they would've been dead two times over.

Haruka leaned down and pressed her fingers into the mess to find that the blood was old. She saw a trail of blood leading a little ways away from the spot in three different directions and felt each one, her fingers running along the grass tips until they had developed a red tinge. She finally got to the third trail of blood that had branched off from the main puddle. It seemed like the weakest trail of blood and was barely visible as tufts of grass covered the path but Haruka ran her fingers over it gingerly anyway. She froze as her fingers came back slick and red. This blood was fresh. Haruka frantically looked around, her eyes roving over every crevice and ditch in the clearing, her ears alert and her skin tingling with nerves.

"Uh… Haruka?"

"Yeah?"

"I think _that_ is what you are looking for."

Haruka glanced at Emiko to see her staring up into a tree directly above them. Haruka gulped and slowly looked up to see the Night Fury looking down at them, its mouth split into a snarl, its eyes gleaming and its torn wings opened wide.

Haruka couldn't find the strength to scream or move as the beast leaped down from the tree. The only thing stopping the dragon from landing directly on top of her was Cassian, who jumped over the river and batted Haruka out of the way with his giant paws. She landed a little rough on the ground but didn't care, the adrenaline running through her veins masking the slight pain so that she didn't even notice.

"Cassian!" Haruka cried out as the Night Fury roared at the Boneknapper, its teeth bared and its silver claws flexing into the dirt so that it left long ruts on the forest floor. It snapped open its wings wider as it snarled at Cassian, hoping to appear larger and more intimidating. Cassian was much larger than the Night Fury but Haruka knew better, her dragon would be no match for the offspring of lightning and death itself. With its wings wide open, Haruka could see the large slashes that covered the sensitive membranes all over and saw the blood seep slowly from its body whenever it moved. She knew why the dragon was attacking but she wanted some way to show that they would not harm it. She was about to say something along those lines to Emiko and Cassian when the Night Fury launched at her dragon from the left before ducking down and leaping onto his back from the right. Cassian yelped and whipped around, hitting his flank on a nearby tree to try to shake off the Night Fury.

Haruka only saw red as her dragon yelped again. She loved dragons and didn't want to hurt this dragon, especially since it was a Night Fury but she couldn't hold back anymore. With an angry yell, she focused on the dragon's right front leg and used all of her brainpower to activate her quirk. She felt her quirk activate with the tiniest clicking sound in her mind and she tilted her head to the left with a swift jerk. Within the seconds she heard the sound of a bone snapping and the Night Fury let out a howl of pain, falling off of Cassian. Cassian went to pounce on the dragon but Haruka stopped him with a sharp shout.

The Night Fury looked at her in anger and blinding white horror as Haruka approached it, its wings flailing as it tried to sit up. It let out a strangled cry when it felt someone's hand press against its flank. Haruka looked up at Emiko in shock as the other woman basically leaped onto the Night Fury and pressed her glowing fingers to its side, her breathing fast and rough as she tried to force the panic down. In less than a minute, the panicking beast had shrunk, its wings folding into themselves until they had disappeared, the dragon's head shrinking and changing, and its body compacting and growing into soft, fluffy fur. Once the transformation was over, the Night Fury managed to shakily stand up on its three non-damaged legs and shake a little bit, its midnight black fur flowing with the movement. The dragon had been transformed into a big black dog with pointed ears, bright eyes, and a fluffy tail. It looked like a German Shepherd but it definitely didn't act like one. The dog looked around, its eyes dilating and narrowing as it got used to the different eyesight. It shook its head and let out a severe snarl that didn't even sound canine.

After a few moments of getting used to its new body, the dog looked up at the two women and the now huge Boneknapper dragon and pinned its ears in fear. It barked at them and bared its teeth as it backed away slowly into the foliage at the edge of the clearing.

"Easy, easy now, don't worry, we won't hurt you," Haruka said, holding one hand out warmly, the other hand, holding her bow and an arrow between two fingers, the tip of the arrow glistening with the pale green liquid from the bottle in her pocket.

She didn't expect the creature to believe her after what they had done to it but she just needed to stall it until they could trap it. She motioned ever so slightly to Emiko who was about to throw the net they had prepared for the Night Fury's capture when the beast snarled at them once more and galloped away, nearly falling over on it's injured legs but still managing to move fast enough to avoid capture. Without thinking, Haruka raised her bow and fired an arrow after the dog, wincing as she heard a yelp in the distance.

"No, wait!" Emiko said with her hand held out as if to stop the already long gone dragon from leaving. The pair ran after the dog, their arms pumping and their breathing ragged as they tore after the beast. They only stopped when they stumbled upon the arrow that Haruka had fired on the forest floor, the tip gleaming with a hint of blood. Emiko hung her head.

"Haruka, I am so sorry, I didn't throw the net when you asked me to and I turned it into a dog so now it is going to be impossible to find again. I am so sorry, I messed up everything!"

Haruka placed a hand on her shoulder and Emiko looked up, her eyes shining with the beginning of new tears.

"You didn't ruin anything, Emiko, in fact, you have made this situation so much better for us. I know exactly were that dragon is going, and now dragon hunters won't have a clue how to find it. As an added bonus, the Night Fury may have shaken off my arrow but I still hit it, that dragon will be asleep in no time. We will see that dragon again, don't you worry."

Emiko gave Haruka a hug and smiled into her neck. She sniffled and leaned back to wipe her eyes clear.

"Thanks, Haru, but, how do you know where the Night Fury is going?"

"Because it is going to the only place it can go, to the place where it can be understood and taken care of. Follow me, I will show you."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**The Black Dog**

****A/N: Wow I have no idea what happened with all of the weird code stuff but here is the new chapter, hopefully without looking like it went through the matrix first. Also, I wanted to point out that the reason why I have not been posting on here is because I operate mainly from Archive of Our Own and Tumblr now (my username is XXPadfootXX on both sites). So I have a bunch of fics on those sites but I decided to continue posting on this site for those of you who prefer this site over those other ones! I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you to those who alerted me to the strange error the first time I tried to upload this.****

In the weeks that followed his therapist visit, Izuku could feel himself starting to heal from the traumatic ordeal. His medication had arrived from Haruka and it was working very well, forcing down the pain in his body and erasing the strange dreams that plagued his sleep. The brand still remained on his hand and it was showing no signs of fading but he was willing to take what he could get at the moment. The school days got easier as his friends finally stopped asking him to relive the attack and the whispers of the other class students fell away into nothingness. But even as training started to take his mind off of things, even as his life began to reform into one of a comforting routine, Izuku could never shake off the thoughts about that dragon.

Izuku groaned and ran a hand through his hair, rereading the word problem on his math homework for the fifth time in a row and leaned back in his chair. He wanted to be able to focus and just get it done, it wasn't that difficult, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. The memory replayed in his mind again, his brain bringing him back to that bloody meadow with the scary men and the terrifying yet beautiful dragon. Izuku growled in frustration. That was the thing! He wanted to fear and hate the dragon. He wanted to conform to normality and say that the dragon had taken him as an evening snack, but he felt in the back of his mind that that was simply not true. He tried to think back to the memory once more but no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't remember what had happened after the men had charged them.

With a defeated sigh, Izuku closed his textbook and folded his homework away, preparing to complete it in the morning, and reached into his bag for an old book he had picked up at the library that day. He had already read it, and many others like it, but maybe he had missed something. The book was a book on strike class dragons, describing their personalities, strengths, weaknesses, and most common quirks which could be affected by anything from their environment, to their food, to their mating patterns. Izuku opened it and flipped once more to the single page on the Night Fury that was available. All of the dragons in the book had been studied meticulously so that there were pages and pages of information about each one such as how to survive an attack from each species and who to call if one is spotted near you. The Night Fury, however, had information that barely even took up half a page and while the other dragon pages contained highly detailed photos and graphics of each species, the Night Fury just had a question mark in the center of the page with vague facts about the dragon around it.

Izuku knew that it was helpless but flipped through the book anyway, rereading all of the facts about the Night Fury with critical eyes. All of the facts were vague and uninteresting as if the author of the book had been too lazy to find anything more than random facts online about the beast. Izuku knew this wasn't the case as every book he had read on the Night Fury had come up with the same results but he still felt frustrated and unsatisfied. After almost an hour of reading through every single detail, Izuku tossed the book over his head where it landed on a pile of other pointless dragon books. His hands were shaking and he ran them through his green hair again. He was desperate for answers but he couldn't find anything.

"Izuku! Come out for dinner honey!" His mother's voice snapped him out of his feverish reverie and he was able to take a deep breath before replying.

"Coming mom!" Glancing once more at the pile of books on his floor, Izuku stood up to go eat.

Izuku came home from school and threw his backpack onto the couch with a groan. He felt so tired but also so restless as if he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was being watched and tracked. He supposed that he was technically being hunted by a bloodthirsty dragon but this somehow felt different. He felt as if he was experiencing severe anxiety but from a distant place, as if he were feeling the stress of another person. Letting out a distressed sigh, Izuku slumped over to the couch and dragged his bag toward him, opening it up to grab the new dragon book that he had picked up at the library that day. He didn't really expect it to help very much but he had to do something. He was so damn sick of sitting around, doing nothing.

Little did he know, his mother was watching him from around the corner in their kitchen, her worry growing as she saw his nervous behavior and the book he had pulled out of his bag. She wanted to help him so badly but felt as if she could only watch him struggle from afar, forced to watch him sink deeper and deeper under the sands of anxiety and paranoia. She stood up straighter as she realized he had started to shake and set her face into a determined smile as she rounded the corner, growing desperate to help him.

"Izuku?"

"Oh, Mom! Sorry, I didn't know you were there, what can I help you with?" He closed his book and slid it under his leg to obscure the title and looked up at her with a pretty convincing smile on his face. But she knew better, he was her son. She placed a hand on his shoulder before leaning in to give him a hug.

"I know you have been struggling, so why don't we eat dinner early tonight and go out for some dessert treats tonight? I have to run to the store to get some more medical supplies anyway since we have used most of our stock on your more recent injuries."

Inko saw shock feather lightly in her son's eyes but then they brightened and he smiled genuinely for the first time in weeks.

"That sounds really nice, Mom, thank you."

"Anything to make you feel better, sweetie."

After eating and making a small list of the supplies they would need, the pair left the house and walked out together down the sidewalk towards town. It was a little bit of a far walk but it wasn't anything too rigorous and Izuku enjoyed the quiet company he had with his mother as they walked. They went out and got some Taiyaki before heading to the pharmacy to pick up some of the more basic medical materials such as gauze and bandages and disinfectant. They left the store and headed back toward their home just as the sun was beginning to sink beneath the horizon, casting the sky into shades of pale violet, radiant orange, glossy red, and pastel pink. Izuku felt the most relaxed than he had in weeks, the violent memories of the dragon attack fading away into blurry afterthoughts that barely registered as a dull buzz in his mind. He and his mother laughed together and walked with their arms around one another as the sun began to dip beneath the roofs of houses, the last rays clinging to the edges of the buildings with golden fingertips. The pair were almost to their home when the rustling of bushes caught their attention. Izuku felt his mother tighten her grip on his shoulders and she moved forward a little bit as if to protect her son from any threat that may come their way. The rustling got louder and closer, until the branches of the bushes right beside them parted.

A piece of the deepening night limped out of the bushes, its eyes, dull with pain. It was a black dog. Izuku and his mother stopped walking as the creature stumbled out in front of them, its head, turning just slightly to look at them clearly. As the light around them was beginning to seep away, it was hard for them to tell exactly what was wrong with the dog, but no matter how dark it got, they could easily tell that the poor beast was horribly messed up. It looked to be a German Shepherd of some kind as it was of lean but muscular build and had pointed ears but its fur was a velvety midnight black.

"Izuku, stay behind me," Inko stepped even further in front of her son and place an arm in front of him like a bar so as to barricade him from moving any further. She had no idea who's dog this was or why it looked like it had just come back from surviving the apocalypse but she also didn't know if it was friendly or not and she did not need her son to live through another animal attack. The dog looked up at her, its eyes glazed in pain before suddenly collapsing to the ground. Inko and Izuku were too stunned to move for a moment but after a little while, Izuku stepped past his mother's arm and bent down near the dog.

"Izuku-"

Izuku held up his hand slightly and glanced at his mother, the corners of his mouth twitching upward slightly in a comforting smile. He hesitated for a moment before placing a hand on the dog's flank. He felt the feather-light rise and fall of its chest. He turned back to his mother and took a deep breath.

"Let's take it back home with us," Izuku said. His mother looked momentarily horrified so he pressed on quickly.

"Come on, the only nearby veterinarian's office is almost thirty minutes away and it is probably already closed and if we leave it here, it will die. I don't think it will try to hurt us if we help it survive," Izuku turned back to the dog. "Please, I need something like this, to help someone in need."

Inko still hesitated but after another quick moment of thought and a glance at her son, who was still staring at the dog that lay panting softly on the road, she let out a sigh and nodded to him. Izuku brightened up a little bit and leaned down to wrap his arms around its back behind the shoulders and under its belly, in front of its back legs.

"Have you got that sweetie or would you like some help?"

"No, I've got it," Izuku said, hoisting the dog up into the air and starting to walk. His mother trotted up from behind him and only slowed when she was right beside her son.

"It's a good thing we bought new medical supplies," Inko mumbled softly, looking up at the now black sky, watching the stars twinkle and wink above her like shattered diamonds in a black sea.

It was around 3 am when the dog finally woke up, the unfamiliar surroundings, the sharp scent of fabric softener, the darkness all around it causing the dog to snap its head up in alarm and growl into the darkness, fear causing its heart to pound.

The growling woke Izuku immediately despite the fact that the sound was soft and almost inaudible. He shot up in his bed and swung his legs off the side, walking backward until he hit the wall with his back, his hands up in the air. He paused, and then placed one of his palms on the wall and felt around until he felt the switch and flicked on the lights. The sudden brightness in the room partially blinded the dog and caused it to growl again, Izuku tensed and didn't move.

When Izuku and his mother had arrived in their home with the injured dog, they had worked for several hours to disinfect and wrap up its wounds with the supplies they had on hand. They were ready to take it to the vet and then to a shelter in the morning but they knew they couldn't just leave it to sleep like it was, with gashes all over its body and what even looked like a mark from an arrow or knife in its side. The dog had been knocked out the entire time, which they had been a little grateful for, as they had given it a bath and rubbed medication and bandages all over the wounds. Once they had finished as much as they could, Inko had used old blankets and pillows to make a little bed for it on the floor beside Izuku's bed. She had originally not wanted the dog anywhere near her son but as it had still been knocked out, and after Izuku had pestered her for an hour, she had finally given up with the promise that he would call her in if anything went wrong.

Finally, the dog seemed to get used to the light and glanced around the room, its eyes wide and almost calculating. While it was distracted, Izuku studied the dog, his own eyes roving over the bandages and black fur until their eyes inevitably locked on one another. Despite the fact that this was a dog, Izuku felt as if he couldn't tear his gaze away from those eyes, they seemed so searingly familiar but it felt almost as if his brain was shoving down the memory, trying not to remember where he saw those eyes despite his curiosity. That's when it hit him. There was only one memory that he had ever tried to shut out of his mind, the only thing traumatizing enough to make him want to forget. The memory burst past his mind's efforts to block it and flooded his brain as if it had happened yesterday. Those eyes. _Those eyes_.

Izuku fought to keep his breathing steady, that was impossible, there was no way, a Night Fury was the rarest dragon in the world, it would have been captured by now. His body was shaking as he continued to stare at the dog, its eyes never leaving his. He remembered what the doctor had said at that moment, how Night Furies were renowned for their intense intelligence, sometimes even being able to learn and understand a human language. Could this dragon have possibly tracked him here using its own skills while also avoiding detection and capture? Was the dog transformation some kind of quirk or was he just going crazy and it was just a normal stray off of the streets? But the wounds, and the eyes, it just _had_ to be that dragon.

The dog never broke eye contact but it didn't attack him either, so Izuku slowly approached it with his left hand held out. The dog again did not react negatively, so he kept moving toward it, raising his right hand slowly, palm out. That was when the dog did something unexpected. It broke eye contact with Izuku and glanced at the mark on his right palm and wagged its tail. It was only two quick thumps and the dog froze with a growl, almost as if it were surprised by that reaction as well, but Izuku took that as a good sign.

"I-I w-want to-" Izuku paused and cleared his throat, still moving forward slowly. "I want to help you, I don't really know why b-but you d-did s-save me. I owe y-you now… j-just please don't e-eat m-m-me."

Izuku saw the dog's eyes widen as he slowly kneeled down in front of it. Taking a deep breath, Izuku closed his eyes and held out his right hand, his brand glowing a deep ocean blue. The world suddenly seemed to melt away as he felt his hand touch the dog's forehead, that same warm and cold feeling flowing into his palm until Izuku's consciousness faded into darkness.


End file.
